Research and feedback.
What is a documentary?
What characteristics can we expect?
Non fiction
About the real (Historical, political, culturial
events) World
Informative, educational
Based on observation rather than
intervention
Unstaged
Filmed in a particular style (eg. Interviews,
voice-over, handheld camera)
Genre Realism is one of the conventions
Representation How do docs represent the
real world
Narrative How do documentaries use realist
techniques to shape the real world?
Documentaries are boring
There is a documentary for any subject of
interest
The storytelling of a documentary can be
more compelling than a narrative film
Documentaries are or should be
objective
This is a common criticism of filmmaker
Michael Moore
In truth, every film is made from a
particular point of view and contains
biases
Documentaries are easy/cheap to make
While documentaries often do not require
as much pre-production and manpower
as a fiction film, they can take a while to
shoot and edit
One of the best ways that we can analyse documentary films is by
looking at the relationship between the filmmaker and the subject.
Typically documentary films are categorised by the measurement of
this relationship
More Objective
Less intrusion on the part of the
filmmaker in the filmmaking process
Audience is left to make judgment on
the meaning, argument, and
characters
More Subjectivity
More intrusion on part of the filmmaker,
maybe even going as far as creating
everything themselves
Filmmaker presents a very specific
argument, or tries to evoke a specific
emotion
Modes of documentary filmmaking
Performative Poetic Reflexive Expository Observational Participatory
One of the great uses of documentary
filmmaking is that it can foster awareness of
cultures in us as both an audience and as
filmmakers
Because documentaries cover such a wide variety of
topics, it is difficult to develop a classification system for
all of them
Bill Nichols (2001) devised modes by which we may
organise the conventions and expectations of
documentary films:
Poetic Mode
Expository Mode
Observational Mode
Participatory Mode
Reflexive Mode
Performative Mode
Documentary films can borrow elements from each of
these modes
Films in the poetic mode have a heavy concentration
on the power of the image and editing
There is not an emphasis on the transfer of
information about the historical world, but rather the
filmmakers seek to evoke emotion in the audience in
reference to a subject
Often relies Heavily on music to create emotion
We can see influence now in many music videos
Style would be considered more subjective as
filmmaker is manipulating the way that we see the
historical world in order to present a particular
viewpoint of it
Cons:
Films are incredibly abstract and audiences may find it
difficult to watch as there is no traditional storyline
Examples (Click links to watch)
Berlin: Symphony of a Great City
Koyaanisqatsi : Music by Philip Glass
Baraka
Chemical Brothers: Star Guitar
Films in the Expository Mode rely on voice-over
narration as the presentational mode
The images serve a supporting role to the narration
Evidentiary Editing
This voice over narration is often referred to as
the Voice-of-God, it is an attempt to be
authoritative and objective on the given subject
A common example of this mode is the History
Channel: They make documentaries on subjects
and use a top-down approach to history (i.e.
These were the people that were involved,
this is what happened)
An objective approach to history
Often used for propagandistic purposes; To give
the illusion of authority and truth
Is closer to the objective end of the spectrum,
but this can be manipulated by the filmmaker
Cons: Can be overly didactic, not account for all
perspectives on events
Examples:
Why We Fight Series (1944): A series of war
propaganda films made by Frank Capra to support
WWII
The observational mode is defined by the
fly on the wall approach to a subject; the
filmmakers role is simply to observe
actions as they take place
Mode allows audience to make judgments
on the nature of the characters as well as
overall themes of the film
Purely observational films have little
narration or editing
Cons:
Can be quite boring; no storyline
Lack of history; cannot give historical
context of the events
Examples:
Dont Look Back: Film following Bob Dylan
on Tour of England
Armadillo & Hoop dreams
The film relies heavily upon the interaction
between the filmmaker and the subject
Use of interviews to get a view of history
from people who participated in it
Filmmaker often has influence over the
outcome of the story because of their
interaction with the subject
Cons:
Excessive faith in witnesses
May be seen as too obtrusive on the part of
the filmmaker
Examples:
Roger and Me
Supersize me
Questions the very nature of representation in documentary film.
Uses multiple methods of representation to draw attention to the
fact that the film itself is a representation.
Often uses actors to represent historical events
The filmmakers use of different techniques of representation
move it away from subjectivity to objectivity.
Cons:
Can be too abstract, may lose sight of the actual issues that need to be
addressed
Examples:
American Splendor: Uses many of these techniques even though it
would be classified as a narrative film
Living with Michael jackson
Thin Blue Line: Uses recreations of a crime to show subjective
viewpoint
Films in the performative mode
are often auto-biographical,
based on the experiences of the
filmmaker.
Films in this mode try to tackle
larger issues through the lens of
the subjects life
Often bridges on the Poetic or
Avant Garde
A more personal approach to
societal topics/problems
Examples
Tarnation